Insulation is an extremely important part of your home, in that it helps to protect you from the elements. If homes weren’t insulated it would take an enormous amount of energy to keep them at a habitable temperature. Insulation works by creating a barrier and holding the heat (or cold) from escaping (or getting in). You might be saying "Duh" right now, but do you know how much the wrong insulation could be costing you?

If no insulation equals huge amounts of energy spent on heating and cooling, what does poor insulation mean? It means more of your money is literally radiating away. R factor, which is a combination of the type of material and how thick it is installed, is a way to measure the insulating properties of a material. Basically, the higher the R factor, the better insulated you are. But don’t be deceived by quoted R factors without knowing all the facts.

Some insulation, like blown in cellulose (nice word for shredded newspaper), or fiberglass can actually start out with a good ‘R factor’. However, they both have some serious drawbacks. What happens when you set a cold glass of water out on a hot sunny day? It sweats. Moisture is a serious consideration when choosing insulation, especially in Minnesota. When wet, both cellulose and fiberglass lose their insulation properties, or R factor. Cellulose can actually absorb moisture and compact down up to 30% in your wall leaving you with a large surface area of un-insulated, no R factor, space. Not just that, because it can absorb moisture, it can grow mold which can irritate allergies and cause sickness.

You might be thinking I’m about to say something like "But now there’s something new!" Sorry, no. The best insulation has been around for years. Thermal Mineral Rock Wool Insulation has been being installed since the 40’s. It has the same R factor when installed as the others, and moisture does not affect it. Mineral Wool will not compact; it is non-organic meaning it can’t absorb or hold moisture, so no mold. Plus, because it is so much denser than the others, it is a better sound barrier.

Possibly the most impressive fact is that Mineral Wool Insulation could actually save your life in the unfortunate event of a fire. The Thermal Wool will not support combustion and won’t even melt until twice the temperature of the competition (if you would call it that) actually acting as a fire retardant.

Badly insulated homes waste millions

Insulation supplier Rockwool has found that around 4.6million households face fuel poverty due to poor energy efficiency and …   Read more…

News – Rockwool International A/S

Gearing up for the climate summit in Copenhagen. Retrofitting of existing buildings. Industry players promote technical insulation. Rockwool solutions used for Singapore showpieces. Gree…   Read more…

is this rockwool insulation?

looking at the pictures, does this appear to be rockwool insulation. also is that vent line wrapped with asbestos insulation? jim murphy. attached images. 08-17-09 047.jpg (114.4 kb). 08…   Read more…

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Cavity wall insulation means the process of sealing the gaps between two layers of brick walls. The insulation forms a barrier in order to block flowing of the heat outside. Wall insulation is vital for those properties that were built during the period between 1920 and 1989, as building regulations of that time rule separating one layer of walls from another by keeping gaps in between for air passage. However, nowadays cavity walls pose a threat to climate condition of our planet by giving rise to excessive release of carbon dioxide gases. That’s why, insulating walls with an appropriate type of insulation material is necessary to prevent generating CO2 and increasing fuel bills for heating homes by using heating systems.

Types of Cavity Wall Insulation Materials

Insulation materials tend to vary in broad ranges from synthetic insulation materials to eco-friendly, greener materials. The right insulation materials should be selected as per the requirement. The best way to decide suitable materials to insulate cavity walls is by conducting a home inspection. Professional inspectors or insulation installers are the best people to rely on than yourself to inspect your house and determine the requirement of the insulation materials.

Three main materials are chosen for cavity wall insulation and they are -

1. Mineral Wool
2. Polystyrene Beads
3. Urea Formaldehyde Foam

These cavity wall insulation products are selected for the ability to render stable insulation effects to the building for the life of it. These insulation materials have high heat resistance capacity, low heat conductivity and they are non-combustible. Moreover, these products have proven to resist water flow or penetration to it thus making these ideal to prevent condensation or moisture build-up through the walls. Low moisture build up ensures long life of the insulation in the walls and lessening fuel bills more and more with time. Estimations taken on the effectiveness in reducing energy bills have revealed it is an amount of 90 per year in which fuel bills tend to lessen.

If you believe in using everything natural and eco-friendly, choose green insulation materials instead of synthetic materials. Sheep’s wool, flax, hemp, cellulose or recycled newspapers, cork board or straw materials are green cavity wall insulation materials that do not biodegrade and cause irritants on skin during installing insulation. Nonetheless, these materials are prone to forming pests or fungus and require them to be replaced with time. According to insulation experts‘ observations, fibreglass insulation including batt and roll insulation and blown-in cellulose insulation are the most effective for insulating cavity walls.

BuildingGreen.com LIVE: How Green is Polystyrene Insulation? EBN’s …

BuildingGreen.com LIVE: How Green is Polystyrene Insulation? EBN’s Position, and How It Affects GreenSpec-Listed Products by Alex Wilson on 08/11/2009.   Read more…

BuildingGreen.com – EBN: 18:8 – Rethinking Polystyrene Insulation

Toward that end, polystyrene insulation, both extruded (XPS) and expanded (EPS), plays a key role in many energy-efficient green buildings. And it is a key component of several specialized, hig…   Read more…

BuildingGreen.com on Polystyrene Insulation | Raisingspaces

Oh, curse the green product tradeoff! Case in point: Polystyrene insulation is oh so effective at keeping the heat in…or out. Pity about the toxic benzene.   Read more…

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